Heel-retaining device



T. L. HOLLINGSWORTH.

HEEL RETAINING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 31. I918. RENEWED MAR. 13.1920.

1,359,805. Patented Nov. 23,1920.

Jig/12271 rr e r r v TI-XOMAS L. HGLLI'NGS'WORTH, OF ELYRIA, OHIO,.ASSIGINOR TO THE FAY RUBBER I PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF ELYBIA, OHIO, A CORPORATION" OF OHIO.

HEEL-RETAINING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

Application filed May 31, 1918, Serial No. 237,381. Renewed March 13, 1920. Serial No. 365,660.

I 0 all 20 ham it may concern Be it known that I, THoMAs L. HoLLINGswonrrr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elyria, in the county of Lorain and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Heel-Retaining Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to devices for retaining the lower section or lift of a heel for a shoe, and is particularly adapted for use with resilient heels. An object of the invention is to provide a simple, effective retaining device which maybe very conveniently applied and may hold a heel section very securely and still permit comparatively easy removal when it is desired to replace the worn resilient portion or section of the heel. A more specific object of the invention is to avoid the difficulties and inconveniences incident to securing resillient heel sections by the use of nails or pegs. Other objects will become apparent in the following description which refers to the drawings; the essential characteristics are summarized in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the heel illustrating my securing device; Fig. 2 is a bottom View of the heel; Fig. 3 is a bottom plan of the more solid portion of the heel to which the resilient section is secured showing the receiving plate cooperating with the securing elements of the resilient section; Fig. 4 1s a sect onal detail on the same plane as Fig. 1, illustrating the man-' nor in which the securing devices coact; Fig. 5 is a sectional detail taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a detail in plan of the securing member for the removable section before being embedded in the heel.

Describing the parts by the use of reference characters, the upper of a shoe is indicated at A and the sole at B, in broken lines, while C indicates the usual solid portion of the heel made of leather or like material.

Secured to the bottom surface of the heel C is a plate 10 having its perimeter substantially the shape of the heel and preferably somewhat smaller. It is shown as being set in so that its bottom surface is flush with the surrounding surface of the lower layer of the heel portion C, thus presenting a flat of the plate at each side of the cut 15 is.

turned upwardly sharply to present gripping jaws 18.- As these portions 18 are turn-ed upwardly, it will be noted (from Fig. 1) that they present twocomparatively sharp separated edges at each side of the opening between them.

At D is indicated a rubber heel'or heel section comprising the lower lift ofthe heel and embedded in the resilient sections is a plate 20. This plate 20 is provided with laterally extending projections 22 formed by cutting away the metal around three sides of an opening 23 and turning the metal thus freed upwardly at substantially right angles to the plane of the plate. The openings. 23

are preferably'so cut that the metal turned upwardly therefrom is tapered on its opposite upright edges and is normally horizontal on its upper edge. This plate may be embedded in the rubber of the resilient section, by any suitableprocess, in substan tially the position indicated and when so embedded may serve to secure the resilient section to the section C, it being only neces-' sary to present the projections 22 to the notches formed by the inwardly turned jaws 18 and forcibly move the heel D to the heel C, thus thrusting the projections 22 between thejaws until the lower and-upper surfaces of the heel sections C andD, respectively, meet as shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

The material of the section C is preferably .cut away forming openings 25, occupied by the projections 22, although these projections may, if desired, be sharpened and forcibly driven into the material of the heel C. In the latter case, the application of the first rubber heel to the leather section forms openings which may be occupied by the proj ections 22 of new heels used to replace worn heels. As the projections 22 are forced in wardly between the jaws 18, these jaws are separated materially and tend to spring inwardly toward each other, thus causing the sharp edges thereof to firmly grip the proections 22 and it will be noted that these edges are so presented to the projections that inward and upward movement may be more easily accomplished than the downward movement, as the downward movement tends to strengthen the jaws 18 drawing them still more tightly into engagement with the projections.

The heel D is shown as having a recess it, formed in its lower side, leaving a broad rim around the perimeter of the heel section which provides the desired treading surface and also has the following advantage. It will be noted that the recess leaves but a thin layerof rubber beneath the plate 20, whereby blows may be given directly opposite the projections 22 and the heel. may be more effectively put into place than were the blows struck upon the rubber of .materially greater thickness, between the plate and the bottom of the heel. The principal advantage, however, is that the tread portion is comparatively narrow, which adds to the resilience of the heel and consequently adds to its Wear.

To remove the heel, it is only necessary to thrust a wedge-shaped instrument between the sections D and C and inwardly toward the projections 22 and forcibly draw these projections outwardly from engagement with the jaws 18 whereupon an entirely new heel may be placed upon the heel (I before that section is worn. The placing of the heel in position is so simple in operation that it does not require the services of a cobbler, and the wearer of the heels equipped with my improved securing device may merely remove them with any pointed instrument,-

such as a screw driver, and replace them with new ones in a few moments. Experience through extended tests have proven that this securing device is very effective.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is: i

1. In a securing device for lower heel sections, the combination of a plate secured to the upper section of the heel, and having an opening formed .in said plate, the metal surrounding said opening being turned upwardly and inwardly and being constructed and arranged to yieldingly engage a projection extending into said opening and serving to secure the removable section.

- 2. A device for securing a removable heel section, comprising a plate secured to the solid portion of the heel and having an opening, the material at the sides of said opening being turned upwardly and presenting a sharp edge, and a projection extending into said opening from the removable heel section, and tending to separate the edges at the sides of the opening causing the edges to bite into and retain the projection.

3. In a device of the character described,

the combination of a solid heel section and. a removable lower section, a securing device for the lower section comprising a metal plate carried by the upper section and having a slot, the metal at each side of the slot being turned from the plane of the plate and presenting sharp edges toward the slot, a plate secured to the removable section and a projection extending from the last named plate into said slot and firmly engaged by the metal at each side of the slot.

i. In a device for securing lower heel sections, the combination of a plate secured to the solid portion of the heel of the shoe, said plate having a plurality of slots, the metal at each side of the slot being turned upwardly, a removable section having a plate embedded therein, and projections 6X5 tending from said plate through said slots, the metal. at each side of the slot tending to bite into the plate.

5. In a device for retaining a resilient heel, the combination of a plate secured to the solid portion of the heel. and having gripping members formed by cutting a slit in the heel and turning the metal at each, side of the slit inwardly and upwardly, a resilient heel section, and a plate embedded in the resilient heel section having upward projections rigid therewith and adaptedto be forced into said grippers, tending to,

separate the same, whereby the grippers firmly engage such pro ections said grippers being so shaped that they resist downward movement more effectually than upward movement ot the pro ections.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix. my signature.

THOMAS L. HOLLINGSIVORTH. 

